At the NFL trade deadline, the Detroit Lions acquired wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones. However, it appears that the Lions were not opposed to adding another receiver.
On November 7, NFL insider Jordan Schultz revealed that the Lions were interested in recently reinstated free agency wideout Martavis Bryant. The 31-year-old agreed to join the Dallas Cowboys’ practise squad.
“The Titans and Lions were both interested in Martavis Bryant,” Schultz commented on X (formerly Twitter). “He was scheduled to go to Tennessee if there wasn’t a deal with Dallas.”
Schultz did not say whether Bryant planned to visit the Lions as well. It’s all for naught until a team wants to sign Bryant to their active roster.
Given Bryan’s time away from the league, that seems unlikely. On November 11, 2018, he last appeared in an NFL football game.
According to The Athletic’s Jon Machota, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones dubbed Bryant “a big, strong, fast receiver” while discussing the potential of signing him on 105.3 The Fan.
Lions ‘Were Interested’ in WR Martavis Bryant
The Lions, like Dallas, were probably kicking the tyres on Bryant because of his 6-foot-4 height, 210-pound bulk, and electrifying speed. Bryant averaged 17.3 yards per reception and scored 14 touchdowns in his first 21 NFL games with the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2014-15.
He was selected by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2014 NFL Draught. He swiftly rose to the status of diamond in the rough.
However, Bryant began to struggle with substance addiction issues early in his second season. For breaking the league’s substance-abuse policy, he was suspended for the first four games of the 2015 season. A year later, he earned another suspension, this time for a whole season.
Bryant returned in 2017 after missing the whole 2016 season to record 50 catches for 603 yards and three touchdowns.
However, he was moved by the Steelers after the season. Bryant was suspended for the third time while playing for the Oakland Raiders for breaking the terms of his conditional reinstatement.
Despite seeking for reinstatement to the NFL as early as 2019, the wideout was not reinstated until November 4, 2023.
How Bryant Could Have Fit With the Lions
Bryant used to be a fantastic NFL receiver. However, given that he hasn’t played in five seasons, it’s difficult to see him as anything more than a flier.
Adding a flier like Bryant, on the other hand, is enticing for a Super Bowl contender in need of receiver help. The Lions don’t need another wideout right now, but they could use some depth at the position.
The Lions, like the Cowboys, have only one wide receiver with more than 25 receptions this season. That’s Amon-Ra St. Brown, the team’s leading receiver with 57 catches and 665 yards.
The other two Detroit pass catchers with more over 25 catches are tight end Sam LaPorta and running back Jahmyr Gibbs, both rookies.
Josh Reynolds, the Lions’ No. 2 receiver, ranks second on the club in receiving yards with 397. With 18 receptions and 231 yards, Kalif Raymond ranks third on the team.
Peoples-Jones is anticipated to offer the Lions with the WR depth they require. In seven games with the Cleveland Browns this season, he only had eight receptions for 97 yards. Last season, however, he recorded 61 catches for 839 yards and three scores.
St. Brown, Reynolds, Raymond, and Peoples-Jones will be a strong receiving corps for Detroit in the second half of the season. That should be especially true with LaPorta and Gibbs also contributing extensively to the Lions’ passing offence.
However, Detroit’s rumoured interest in Bryant indicates that the team is still looking for extra receiver depth, especially if it can add to the practise squad on the cheap.
